Yes, Jim Keefe is the artist of the Sally Forth comic strip,
but he was (1996-2003), and occasionally still is, the writer/artist of Flash Gordon.
Sally Forth and Flash Gordon © King Features Syndicate
With King Features Syndicate bringing back Flash Gordon as a limited edition Sunday webcomic Edgar, for KFS, talked to Jim about his turn as steward of the comic icon.
So tell us a bit about how you initially got involved with Flash Gordon in 1996.
“I was on staff at King Features (Colorist in the Comic Art Department) when I first heard they were shopping around for a new artist. That was back in 1993. Always looking for an opportunity to get a drawing gig, I got a copy of the current Flash Gordon script, drew up some sample pages – aaaaaaand was promptly rejected.”
What challenges did you face when taking the job?
“The biggest challenge was the weekly deadline coupled with how incredibly labor intensive the work is. In comic books it’s pretty much the norm these days to have different labor divisions on a book – writer, penciller, inker, letterer and colorist. Working as the sole creator on a strip it’s all on you, which means a lot of hours at the drawing board.”
Read the full interview with Jim.
He shows great respect for the strip and the creators who went before him,
and Jim delves more into the nuts and bolts of producing a comic strip.
Also Jim reveals the guest artist he couldn’t get to draw a Sunday.
The really astonishing thing about the Sally Forth strip, something I’ve only just noticed, is how much expression Keefe (and of course Marciuliano) can get out of the two lines that serve as eyes for each character.